Amazon Freevee’s Jury Duty was one of this year’s most pleasant surprises, and we were thrilled to see the unscripted courtroom comedy nab an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Comedy Seri…
  • realcaseyrollins@kbin.projectsegfau.lt
    1·
    1 year ago

    Writers still haven’t recovered from the 2016 election lol

    But fr I think NBC making most of the good sitcoms is a big part of it. NBC has been making hit sitcoms since the 70s, but for the first time in awhile, they don’t have any hit comedies anymore. In the 70s, they had Sanford & Son, in the 80s they had Cheers, in the 90s they had The Cosby Show and Friends, in the 2000s they had The Office, in the 2010s they had Parks & Rec and Community and 30 Rock and Superstore and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

    I do think that ABC might be poised to take over NBC’s spot as top comedy broadcaster though, Black-ish was a smash hit and now they have Abbott Elementary as well.

  • dan@lemm.eeEnglish
    0·
    1 year ago

    I miss things like Scrubs, 30 Rock, Arrested Development, Community - they all struck a balance between being comfortable/wholesome and cool/intelligent.

    Brooklyn Nine-Nine was close but ultimately got bored of itself and started to do weird novelty stuff before petering out. Big bang theory etc are way too sitcommy.

    • wjrii@kbin.social
      0·
      1 year ago

      Derry Girls on Netflix (in the US) is very solid, and wisely wrapped it up after their post-Covid season was just a bit less dynamic, plus the cast was straining credulity as teens in S1, to say nothing of S3 four years later. It’s got heart and a bit of pathos, but it’s a legitimate comedy and sometimes in a guffawing broad sort of way.

      The Good Place is the best Michael Schur show from beginning to end, and only bested by Parks and Rec seasons 2-5, IMHO. TGP was silly and high concept from the beginning, so there was more room to be weird without throwing the show off track, and it had a story to tell that wrapped up nicely.

      Reservation Dogs on FX is not uproarious, but it’s very human and has some really funny coming of age stuff. I think it’s only got one more season, but honestly, that amount of notice should generally be enough to get a comedy or dramedy to a sufficiently satisfying resolution or at least pause point. The unexpected cliffhanger cancellations that come by surprise or via showrunners playing chicken with their bad ratings are the really frustrating ones.

        • wjrii@kbin.social
          1·
          1 year ago

          Superstore is much more uneven, but it has a similar charm in how it explores the doldrums of a workplace, and a lot of the characters are like mix and match from character traits of the The Office (US) ensemble.

          Better Off Ted was taken from us too soon. Imagine Arrested Development meets Catch 22, as a workplace comedy set in a modern conglomerate.

          If you haven’t watched The Office’s NBC running mates, 30 Rock, Community, and Parks & Rec, they’re all good to great. 30 Rock is one of the best TV comedies of all time, imho, and I’ll die on that hill.

          What We Do in the Shadows puts a hilarious horror twist on the “talk to the camera” mockumentary format.

          Of course, whichever version of The Office you watched, US or UK, go watch the other one. The UK one commits to the cringe more thoroughly and is much darker. It’s not for everyone, but it also doesn’t run into the saccharine moments and pointless storylines that the US version had in its later seasons.

          Finally, Ted Lasso for a show that dives headfirst into the wholesomeness and posits a world where “Michael Scott” actually was everything he believed himself to be.